UFC 138's Renan Barao says he's ready for bantamweight title shot

Of course, his 27 straight victories lend some credence to the argument.

After all, Barao, who scored a first-round submission victory over English fighter Brad Pickett in Saturday’s UFC 138 co-headliner, said there’s only one reason fighters come to the UFC: to fight for a championship.

Soon after his Spike TV-televised victory, which came via rear-naked choke at LG Arena in Birminghan, England, Barao answered the obvious question: Is he ready for a shot at bantamweight titleholder Dominick Cruz?

“The objective is this: When you come up here to the UFC, it’s to fight for the title,” he told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) through a translator. “I’m ready any time.”

Barao (27-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC), a Brazilian who made his WEC debut in 2010, eventually moved to the UFC and made a successful octagon debut with a decision victory over Cole Escovedo back in May. But against Pickett (20-6 MMA, 0-1 UFC), a top British fighter on an impressive 10-1 run, he got a step up in competition and a chance to prove he’s title-worthy.

But the “Fight of the Night” winner didn’t last a single round. The fighters immediately engaged in a slugfest that brought a sold-out arena to its feet. But minutes later, Barao launched a violent and lightning-quick sequence. It began with a big knee up the middle that wobbled Pickett, continued with a quick combination that dropped the fighter, and concluded with ground and pound that eventually led to the rear-naked choke.

“We were training very hard for this fight, and Brad Pickett is a very tough opponent, one of the best out there,” Barao said. “I was very excited for this fight. I trained very hard.

“My team put me in a lot of training – boxing, Muay Thai and everything – and I felt very confident I was going to put on a good show.”

Barao is now undefeated (with 27 wins and a no-contest) since a split-decision loss in his 2005 pro debut. Although many of his victories have come against unknowns on the regional Brazilian circuit, recent wins have come over the likes of Anthony Leone, Chris Cariaso and Escovedo.

Additionally, Barao, who now has 19 finishes among his 27 career wins, perhaps got no bigger endorsement than the one from UFC president Dana White. As the UFC’s newly adopted lighter weight classes still struggle to gain traction in the world’s biggest MMA promotion, current champ Cruz has gone to a decision in eight of his past nine fights.

But in Barao’s win over Pickett, White saw the top of stopping power that can result in championship bookings.

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